RCSS gets new Executive Director

The Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS), a Colombo-based leading regional think tank in South Asian strategic affairs, has appointed Prof. Gamini Keerawella as its new Executive Director. He assumed duties on November 16, 2017.

An Emeritus Professor of the University of Peradeniya, he succeeds Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed. Before assuming duties as RCSS Executive Director, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission and later the Charge d’Affaires of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington DC, USA.

A professor in Modern History, he was the Head of the History Department at the University of Peradeniya. He worked as the Secretary to the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs and National Integration and Mineral Resources Development (20012002). He was the Founder Director of the National Integration Unit ( 19972000).

RCSS AGM

The Regional Centre for Strategic Studies held its annual general meeting on December 14 at the RCSS premises, No. 20/ 73, Fairfield Gardens, Colombo 8.

Executive Director Prof. Gamini Keerawella tabled RCSS’ plans for 2018. Dr. Ranee Jayamaha, former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka, and Prof. Amal Jayawardane, Senior Professor, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University were appointed as new directors to the board.

NEW DELHI, Dec 23 (AFP) - At least 32 people were killed on Saturday when their bus swerved off a bridge and plunged 30m onto a riverbed in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, police said.

Local television footage showed rescue workers in waist deep water pulling bodies from the bus, which was half submerged in the river Banas some 160km from the state capital Jaipur.

Authorities had yet to confirm the cause of the crash, but survivors said the driver lost control while trying to overtake another vehicle. India has some of the world's deadliest roads. More than 150,000 people are killed each year with most accidents blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

Melbourne car attack man on 18 attempted murder charges

MELBOURNE, Dec 23 (AFP) - An Afghan refugee accused of ploughing his car into pedestrians in Melbourne was charged with 18 counts of attempted murder Saturday, as police vowed a boosted presence over the Christmas period.

Saeed Noori, who has a history of drug abuse and mental problems, allegedly drove his car through a busy downtown intersection on Thursday, careering into tourists and shoppers. His motive is not clear, although police allege he made “utterances” to them about voices, dreams and the “poor treatment of Muslims” after his arrest.

No link to any terrorist group has been found. Broadcaster ABC said Noori did not apply for bail when he appeared in court on Saturday, putting his head in his hands and becoming emotional when he saw his mother weeping during the short hearing. The magistrate ordered a psychiatric assessment and he is due to appear in court again on Wednesday, the broadcaster reported.

China punishes over 8,000 people for misuse of government funds - Xinhua

SHANGHAI, Dec 23 (Reuters) - China has punished 8,123 people for committing fiscal violations after an audit of how the government's 2016 central budget was spent revealed multiple problems, the Xinhua state news agency reported.

Hu Zejun, head of the National Audit Office, announced the infringements while briefing lawmakers on Saturday, Xinhua said. A broad anti-graft campaign in China, aimed at rooting out deep- seated corruption in the ruling Communist Party, including the misuse or embezzlement of government funds, has ensnared more than 1.3 million offi- cials. Hu said 800 people in stateowned enterprises and 73 people in eight major banks were found to have committed violations, along with 505 people who were punished for malpractice involving medical insurance funds. Hu also said about 48 billion yuan ($7.30 billion) of the funds earmarked for affordable housing projects had been left unused for more than year, she said, while another 1.37 billion yuan of misused funds were recovered. The unused affordable housing funds had since been put to use, she said.

Blue passports could put UK citizens at back of queue, EU officials say

European officials have warned that Britain’s new blue passports could spell travel delays and extra paperwork rather than the enhanced freedom promised by the government.

Theresa May sought to end a difficult political year on a high note on Friday by confirming the return of navy travel documents after Brexit. She said that abandoning the EU- style burgundy design introduced in 1988 was an expression of “independence and sovereignty” that reflected “citizenship of a proud, great nation”. But as the announcement divided domestic opinion along increasingly entrenched cultural battle lines, sources in Brussels pointed out that holders of any colour of British passport could see diminished travel rights after Brexit unless there were further negotiating concessions.

Philippines storm death toll rises to 74, dozens missing

MANILA, Dec 23 (AFP) - The death toll from a tropical storm in the southern Philippines has risen to 74, officials said Saturday, with concerns the figure could rise as dozens remained missing.

Tropical Storm Tembin struck Mindanao, the archipelago nation's second-largest island on Friday, triggering flash floods and mudslides that have since erased a remote village from the map. The Philippines is pummelled by 20 major storms each year on average, many of them deadly. But Mindanao, home to 20 million people, is rarely hit by these cyclones.

Floodwaters started ebbing over the island on Saturday, authorities said, adding that more than 12,000 of its 20 million residents have now fled their homes. Police reported 19 deaths in the mountain village of Dalama near Tubod town, and 26 others in surrounding towns and cities of Lanao del Norte province, one of the hardest-hit areas.

“The river rose and most of the homes were swept away. The village is no longer there,” Tubod police officer Gerry Parami told AFP.